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Sunday, 15 April 2012

Bee Beautiful

The humble bumblebee is suffering a rather sad fate at the moment. In the UK they are rapidly becoming an endangered species. 3 of the 250 UK species have become extinct, with another 7 getting dangerously close. I know very little about ecosystems, but this doesn't sound like good news to me. Bees are crucial in pollination of plants (and therefore lots of foodstuffs, experts estimate up to a third of our diet would vanish if bees die out, which although beneficial for my thighs, is not a good place to get to). They also contribute to so many amazing beauty and health food products, that it has become my new mission to save the bees. So, while I plant my garden with geraniums and sunflowers (bee friendly, for a comprehensive list of plants that attract bees, click here), why not give some of these wonderful products a go.

Neals Yard Bee Lovely Hand Cream - not only is this delicious hand lotion wonderfully soothing and made with honey, £1 from every tube sold goes towards saving the bees, something Neals Yard have been campaigning about for several years. Buy the cream and sign the petition to ban pesticides that kill bees!

Manuka Dr Bee Venom Face Mask this brand make a huge range of products for almost every skin ailment, infused with purified bee venom, which is highly soothing and anti-inflammatory. They gather the bee venom and then release the bees, so it's bee friendly. This mask is great at soothing irritated, spotty skin. Available from Holland and Barratt.

Rowse Honey and Dorset Cereals - Rowse is a popular British honey company that are investing thousands into saving the bees, and have partnered up with the scrummy Dorset Cereals to produce a honey granola.

And while you are eating your granola, why not sprinkle it with Melvita Organic Pollen, the pollen collected by bees that is rich is amino acids, protein and vitamins. Melvita are an organic company, with amazing green credentials (and who have two beehives above their London branch). They also make some wonderful baby products.